Louis Cukela

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Louis Cukela

Louis Cukela (born May 1, 1888 in Split , Kingdom of Dalmatia ; died March 22, 1956 in Bethesda, Maryland , USA ) was a veteran in the United States Marine Corps . During his service, he was awarded the Medal of Honor twice.

Life

Louis Cukela was born on May 1, 1888 in Split (other sources mention Šibenik ) in the Kingdom of Dalmatia (now Croatia ). In 1913 he emigrated with his brother to Minneapolis in the United States of America , where he joined the United States Army in 1913 . In 1916 he was honorably dismissed from the rank of corporal .

Just a few months later, Louis Cukela rejoined the United States' armed forces. So he enrolled in the United States Marine Corps (USMC) in January 1917 . His unit was sent to France after the United States entered the First World War . During fights in the Forest de Retz near Villers-Cotterêts , he was able to single-handedly eliminate a strongly fortified position of the German Army on July 18, 1918 . He destroyed two machine gun nests and was able to take four prisoners. For this he received both the Medal of Honor of the US Army and the Medal of Honor of the US Navy . He is one of only 19 people who have been awarded the Medal of Honor twice.

After the end of the First World War he served at various stations overseas. These included Haiti , the Philippines and the Republic of China . In Haiti, his unit was involved in the development and training of the Gendarmerie d´Haiti from 1919 to 1920 during the US intervention in Haiti . They fought against resistance fighters, who were led by General Charlemagne Péralte . During the fighting, Cukela killed a group of prisoners in the middle of a Marine Corps camp. He was questioned about this, but not brought before a court martial or transferred.

During his military career he has received numerous awards. In addition to the Medal of Honor, he also received the Silver Star , the Médaille militaire , the Croix de guerre and was appointed a member of the Legion of Honor .

On May 17, 1946, Cukela left the USMC with the rank of major and entered his retirement. He died on March 19, 1956 at the US Naval Hospital in Bethesda , Maryland and was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery .

Honors

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  1. ↑ Award text of the Medal of Honor to Louis Cukela www.homeofheroes.com, accessed on January 19, 2016.
  2. ↑ Background to Louis Cukela on the website of the United States Marine Corps History Division ( Memento of the original from December 17, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. www.mcu.usmc.mil, accessed January 19, 2016. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / www.mcu.usmc.mil
  3. ↑ Background information on Louis Cukela on the Naval History and Heritage Command website www.history.navy.mil, accessed on January 19, 2016.
  4. ^ Renda, Mary A .: "Taking Haiti: Military Occupation and the Culture of US Imperialism, 1915-1940" . 1st edition. The University of North Carolina Press, Chapel Hill 2001, ISBN 978-0-8078-4938-5 , pp. 161 .
personal data
SURNAME Cukela, Louis
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American soldier, two-time Medal of Honor holder
DATE OF BIRTH May 1, 1888
PLACE OF BIRTH Split , Kingdom of Dalmatia
DATE OF DEATH March 22, 1956
Place of death Bethesda, Maryland , USA